The bus this early in the day was fairly quiet, the kids that had a Nintendo DS were all in a chat application called pictochat. With each message sent via pictochat you would hear questions such as “who is neya”, “what does that say I cannot read your hand writing” this went on and on the entire day each time we were going from point A to B. A couple hours passed and just as the in ride movie came to an end it was time for a rest stop break just north of Evergreen Alabama. This was a stop which was really not needed and turned out to be one of the worst parts of our trip.
If you have made any trip north via I65 you have seen this rest area. It has one small building with a one men’s room and one ladies room. This small enclosed space soon was jammed with children and parents some fighting for a trip to tinkle, and others racing to get to electrical outlets to charge their Smartphone’s. I myself tried to persuade Bailey to wait as we were only about a half hour from our first destination but being a bathroom connoisseur Bailey just had to go check it out. Well the weather was a bit chilly and windy so the small building was jammed with warm bodies as such the odor was not the most pleasant. As I stood as far out of the way as possible but still keep an eye on Bailey in line another parent and his son made their way into the building and the smell in that tight space was about to get exponentially worse.
As the man and his son entered the building one could not help but notice the fathers cleanly shaved scalp, and his body builder physique that was highlighted by the tightest Affliction Tee Shirt (the sure sign of a true douche bag) any human could possibly get over their torso. Well as he stood there he opened the largest vacuum pouch starkest tuna I have ever seen. He stood just inside the door and ate his protein rich breakfast and stank the entire building up. What an ass, I would at least be considerate of others but this douche sure was not. After the smelliest rest stop in the world it was back on the bus for our final few miles to our state capital.
Once we made it to Montgomery we picked up a really informative tour guide and the adventure began. We first made our way to the Montgomery Riverfront Park which was a bit underwhelming for me. There was a modern day reproduction of a paddle boat steamer , a nearly one hundred and fifty year old tunnel and a nice historical marker for High Red Bluff but all in all a stop we could have done without especially given the wind and chill in the air. Next we made our way to Dexter Avenue where the main focus would be on the civil rights struggle, the Montgomery Bus boycott and Rosa Parks. I myself found the most interesting fact was that the building from which the telegraph message that sent the orders to fire on Fort Sumter but I have always been a sucker for the Civil War and how Alabama played a pivotal role in it.
I know the children need to learn about the civil rights movement and the bus boycott but the manner and words used to do so just seemed so over a fourth graders maturity level. The entire time we were in the Rosa Park’s Museum I found myself so uncomfortable by the words used and the violence depicted in some conversations, photos’s and in fact even the inscriptions we saw on the Civil Rights Monument seemed way to over the head of the audience viewing it.
From the Rosa Parks museum it was off to the Governor’s Mansion where at the gift shop we were greeted with cookies and lemonade which the First Lady of Alabama provides. The tour of the Mansion which consisted of a viewing of three rooms on the first floor was very quick and left much to be desired. It is a beautiful home but as its only been used for the last fifty or so years and is only one hundred and seven years old does not have too much history behind it.
A short drive from the mansion we found ourselves at goat hill, The Alabama State Capital building, this for us all would end up being the highlight of the trip. After a long walk that took us from street level to an underground walkway then back up several staircases into what was the Old Supreme Court Chamber the real meat of the day began. As we moved from chamber to chamber and made our way to the Rotunda a small group was massing in the Old House Chamber. As it would turn out this was a group of 22 Republican Senators getting set to take a Ceremonial oath. They invited us to stay and witness history as it has been 136 years since republicans have held a majority in both the house and senate in the state of Alabama. It was an awesome thing to be a part of.
This made us late for what was a trip to the worst zoo ever…The Montgomery Zoo was a disappointment…So scattered and only one or two of each animal. The only thing good there were the screaming monkeys you will see in the below video.
All in all it was a great trip and I have a great day with my sweetpea!!
